What Baskets Jena GmbH does

Baskets Jena GmbH operates the professional basketball franchise Science City Jena, which competes in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), Germany's top professional basketball league. The company returned to BBL first division in summer 2025 after prior lower-division seasons, with the 2026/2027 season marked by a full strategic reset under newly appointed head coach Steven Esterkamp. Home games are played at the Sparkassen-Arena in Jena, Thuringia, which has a capacity of 3,076 spectators (1,800 seated), operated under a naming-rights arrangement with Sparkasse Jena.

The company generates revenue across four primary streams: ticket sales (individual, season, and group tickets through online and physical box office); multi-tiered sponsorship and advertising (Hauptsponsor Böttcher AG, Platin sponsors Sparkasse Jena and Stadtwerke Jena, Namenssponsor Visit Jena, and Ausrüster Macron); merchandise and FanCard cashless payment system; and corporate hospitality via the Elevion Lounge event space rented 300+ days per year. Distribution channels include the official website (baskets-jena.de), the Ticket-Onlineshop e-commerce platform, a monthly CleverReach-powered fan newsletter, social media, YouTube video series (Fantalk), and physical events such as Fantreffen fan meetings and Family Day matchdays. Customer segments span local basketball fans, regional SMB and corporate sponsors, and youth participants in school-based talent programs (MEWA School Talents Cup, WG Carl Zeiss School Tour).

Beyond the first team, the organization operates a vertically integrated ecosystem including NBBL (U19) and JBBL (U16) youth academy teams, the Club ELF5 JENA microsponsorship program for SMB regional partners (developed with BAES Deutschland GmbH), and an organized supporters' club (JenaNsAir). The affiliated amateur association Science City Jena e.V. handles amateur and youth basketball operations, while the company maintains sports cooperation with local football club FC Carl Zeiss Jena for community engagement. The entity is structured as a German private limited company (GmbH), with Managing Director Lars Eberlein and Prokuristen Thomas Fleddermann and Benjamin Engelhardt, operating from headquarters at Keßlerstraße 28b in Jena.

Name

Baskets Jena GmbH

Legal name

BASKETS JENA GMBH

Website

https://baskets-jena.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Professional German basketball club operating as Science City Jena in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga, serving fans, regional businesses, and youth in Thuringia through matchday ticketing, multi-tier sponsorships, FanCard payments, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Basketball Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Basketball Leagues (MPAKAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arenas & Indoor Sports Centers (MPAKAEAB)

Keywords

• Professional basketball
• Sports entertainment
• Basketball tickets
• Sports sponsorship
• Basketball merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena, Thuringia

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual game tickets, season tickets, and group bookings sold through online shop and physical box office at Sparkassen-Arena
2. Sponsorship and Advertising: Multi-tiered sponsorship program including Hauptsponsor, Namenssponsor, Platin-Sponsoren, Premium-Sponsoren, Classic-Sponsoren, and Business-Club members
3. Merchandise and Fan Articles: Fanshop sales including FanCard system for cashless payments at games
4. Hospitality Services: Elevion Lounge rental for corporate events, meetings, and private functions at Sparkassen-Arena

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Baskets Jena GmbH operates the professional basketball franchise "Science City Jena" competing in Germany's easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), playing home games at the Sparkassen-Arena Jena. The company sells matchday tickets, team merchandise, hospitality packages, and corporate sponsorship offerings, and operates fan-engagement programs such as FanCard, FanClub, and youth development initiatives.

Product overview

Baskets Jena GmbH (operating as Science City Jena) is a professional German basketball club competing in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. The organization offers a portfolio of fan-facing services centered around its first-division basketball team, including ticketing through an online portal, a proprietary cashless FanCard payment system, a newsletter subscription service, and corporate hospitality via the Elevion Lounge event venue. Youth development programs span NBBL/JBBL teams, school basketball leagues, and the WG Carl Zeiss School Tour initiative. The club also operates CLUB ELF5 JENA, a microsponsorship program for regional businesses, and maintains an organized fan club (JenaNsAir) for away travel and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Basketball Matchday Tickets Tickets for individual home games of the Science City Jena professional basketball team competing in the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga, sold to individual fans and visiting spectators at the Sparkassen-Arena Jena.
• FanCard Cashless payment card issued by the club for use inside Sparkassen-Arena Jena, enabling fans to pay for concessions and merchandise at the venue.
• Elevion Lounge Premium hospitality lounge and event venue within the Sparkassen-Arena Jena used for corporate hospitality, VIP game-day experiences, and private events.
• CLUB ELF5 JENA Sponsorship program offering regional companies partnership packages with the Science City Jena basketball franchise, including brand visibility, hospitality benefits, and association with the club.
• FanClub JenaNsAir Official fan club / supporter association for fans of Science City Jena, providing organized supporter activities and community engagement around the basketball team.
• Youth Basketball Development Program Youth basketball training and development program operated by the club to grow local talent and the fan base in the Jena region.
• Team Merchandise Branded merchandise including jerseys, apparel, and accessories of the Science City Jena basketball team, sold to supporters.
• Fan Newsletter Email newsletter delivered to fans providing club news, ticket offers, and team updates for Science City Jena supporters.

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Visit JenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisit Jena serves as the Namenssponsor (Naming Sponsor) for Science City Jena, providing primary naming rights and regional tourism/marketing support for the club.
• Böttcher AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBöttcher AG is the Hauptsponsor (Main Sponsor) of Science City Jena, providing primary financial sponsorship and branding support.
• MacroncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacron serves as the Ausrüster (Equipment Supplier), providing official sports apparel and equipment for the team.
• BAES Deutschland GmbHcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBAES Deutschland GmbH is the strategic partner for Club ELF5 JENA microsponsorship program, jointly developing sponsorship packages for regional businesses covering both basketball and football.
• FC Carl Zeiss JenaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportliche Kooperation (Sports Cooperation) - partnership with local football club for joint community engagement and shared facilities.
• Sparkasse JenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSparkasse Jena is a Platin sponsor and provides naming rights for Sparkassen-Arena Jena, the home venue of Science City Jena.
• Stadtwerke JenacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStadtwerke Jena (municipal utilities) is a sponsor providing Platin sponsorship and various support services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Mitteldeutscher BC: Weissenfels-based BBL club sharing eastern-German geography and a comparable small-city, regional-sponsor profile to Jena.
• Niners Chemnitz: Chemnitz-based BBL club from the same eastern-German region as Jena; closest geographic peer with overlapping catchment area and similar regional-sponsor economics.

Direct peers

• Telekom Baskets Bonn: Bonn-based club competing in the BBL with a similar mid-tier sponsorship portfolio and Telekom-naming-rights-style headline sponsor structure.
• Hamburg Towers: Hamburg-based BBL club with comparable sponsorship-and-ticket revenue model and a modern arena (edel-optics.de Arena); useful benchmark for mid-sized German BBL team economics.
• FC Bayern München Basketball: Munich-based BBL club operating under a major multi-sport parent; directly competes in easyCredit BBL and shares the same revenue model (tickets, sponsors, arena, merchandising).
• Löwen Braunschweig: Lower-Saxony-based BBL club operating from a comparable small-to-mid German city with a similar sponsorship- and ticketing-led revenue mix.
• ratiopharm ulm: Ulm-based BBL club with a strong youth-development program (similar to Jena's NBBL/JBBL focus) and pharma-titled sponsorship model; directly comparable on- and off-court operations.
• MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg: Stuttgart-area BBL club comparable in scale to Jena, with a similar mix of regional sponsorship, ticketing, and arena-based matchday revenue at MHP Arena.
• Bamberg Baskets (Brose Bamberg): Historic BBL club from Bamberg with a similar mid-sized German-city profile, multi-tier sponsor program, and arena-driven matchday revenue.
• Alba Berlin: Flagship Berlin-based BBL club and one of Germany's most successful basketball teams; competes in the same easyCredit BBL with a comparable mix of ticketing, sponsorships, and arena-based revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@basketballbundesliga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baskets-jena-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baskets Jena GmbH